Wall St near highs on results, trade hopes

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq have approached record highs, lifted by upbeat quarterly reports from Coca-Cola and United Technologies and on optimism the US would resolve its trade conflict with China.

Stocks extended gains late in the session on Tuesday after Bloomberg reported that US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer would travel to Shanghai next week for face-to-face trade meetings with Chinese officials.

White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow told reporters on Tuesday the in-person talks to resolve the US-China trade deal were a good sign.

The US corporate earnings season is off to a strong start, with nearly 80 per cent of 104 S&P 500 companies topping earnings expectations so far in the second quarter, according to Refinitiv IBES data.

Coca-Cola surged 6.1 per cent to a record high after the drink-maker beat quarterly earnings expectations and raised its full-year organic revenue forecast.

Also helping sentiment, US President Donald Trump and US congressional leaders reached a deal on Monday on a two-year extension of the debt limit and federal spending caps that would avert a feared government default later this year. It would, however, add to rising budget deficits.

"The reaching of a debt ceiling agreement is positive news for all sectors at large, because it's one additional question that gets removed from the outlook for growth and equities in general," said Mike Loewengart, vice president of investment strategy at E Trade Financial in New York.

Expectations the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates at its policy-setting meeting next week have made investors more willing to buy stocks. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq are less than half a per cent below their record high closing levels set earlier this month.

The European Central Bank is expected to signal easier monetary policy when it meets on Thursday.

The International Monetary Fund lowered its forecast for global growth this year and next, warning that more US-China tariffs, car tariffs or a disorderly Brexit could slow growth further.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.65 per cent to end at 27,349.19 while the S&P 500 gained 0.68 per cent to 3,005.47 on Tuesday.

The Nasdaq Composite added 0.58 per cent to 8,251.40.

Investors also anticipate quarterly reports from top-tier growth companies Facebook on Wednesday, and Amazon.com and Alphabet on Thursday.

"If they disappoint on earnings, that could have a negative impact on (wider) share prices because they represent such a large portion of the market," said Sam Stovall, CFRA chief market strategist.

Overall profits of S&P 500 companies are expected to rise about 1 per cent in the second quarter, according to Refinitiv, improving from a small decline estimated previously.